<p>I remember reading somewhere that if a student was able to defer a year and was currently on the waitlist, it would work to his/her advantage if the admissions committee knew. Is this true? Does anyone have any experience with this?</p>
<p>I applied for this study abroad scholarship, and am not sure if I can get it, but just wondering, in case I get it.</p>
<p>Interesting idea…I would imagine it would depend on the school in question…</p>
<p>Bump. Does anyone have more detailed info?</p>
<p>Most schools have kids on wait lists they have no intention of admitting. Wait lists serve several purposes. So offering to defer if admitted probably won’t get you anywhere unless it’s a less selective school.</p>
<p>@Waverly-
Thanks for the reply. Could you tell me more specifically as to what other purpose(s) the waitlist serves?</p>
<p>Waitlists are used in many cases to fill demographic holes in the already committed freshman class…</p>
<p>In addition, used to get full pay students to commit…</p>
<p>Some schools don’t let waitlisted applicants defer admission. So check the policies of each school.</p>
<p>@musicsweetie: it’s been said that alumni children are more often put on waitlists (with no likelihood of being offered admission later) rather than outright rejected – to soften the blow of the disappointed parent. Only an anecdote I’ve heard – never seen the numbers.</p>
<p>My kid’s experience matches what born2dance said. I think it’s generally true that colleges use their waitlists to fill spots in this year’s entering class. As far as I know, they are not generally interested in holding waitlisted students over to next year.</p>
<p>
It benefits the college for future classes.</p>
<p>Think back to fall of this year. You probably knew some kids from the class year ahead of yours. Suppose a few kids similar to you applied to X, Y, and Z among others and they got waitlisted at X but rejected at Y and Z. You might have decided you had a decent shot at X but Y and Z are a longshot. So encouraged by what you saw happen to others you might have applied to X, thinking maybe you had just that little bit extra that would get you in since those others came so close! </p>
<p>Many students and parents treat waitlists as almost the equivalent of admit, just need a space to open up to let you enroll. Colleges know this, so some are infamous for putting a huge number of their applicants on waitlists, often more than they actually admitted! No law says they actually have to have any intention of admitting those they send a “waitlist” letter to. Huge applicant pools let colleges seem more selective, and also give them more raw material to build a class as they see fit. Big waitlists definitely help colleges, but are often a false hope to applicants.</p>
<p>OP – </p>
<p>Use of waitlist depends on the school. I suspect with the super-competitive schools it doesn’t make a difference. However, if there is a school that you really love, writing to them and saying that you’re their first choice and will attend if admitted (unfortunately, this works better if you don’t need Financial Aid) might help.</p>
<p>Deferring a year – I’m not sure how much it helps. Some schools admit freshmen to start in the second semester. If one of your schools does this, it couldn’t hurt to tell them that you’d accept this option. I don’t know whether it would help.</p>